UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (7) looks on against Fresno State in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Ca., on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

After three games and three losses, UCLA’s bye week comes at a good time for the Bruins to evaluate their progress before conference play begins. Frankly, there’s a lot of evaluation to be done.

The Bruins have the worst offense in the conference, but will finally be at full strength next week when the last two suspended players are eligible to return. The defense has had just one sack in the past two games. There is also Twitter drama, which seems like it’s becoming an annual occurrence for UCLA football.

So there’s no game this week, but UCLA is plenty busy, evidenced by all the questions for this week’s mailbag. So let’s get to them:

OFFENSE

What happened to Modster? As the only QB that has won a game at UCLA how is he not seeing the field? He seemed tailor made for Chip’s offense.

Not seeing Devon Modster against Oklahoma, except for one emergency snap in which Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s helmet came off, doesn’t seem like a positive sign for the redshirt sophomore’s chances to see the field in a major way unless Thompson-Robinson’s progress takes a serious downturn.

I do think Modster could run the offense well. I think he’s talented and very composed, as he showed during his limited time last year. But at the same time, I feel like the coaching staff looked at the freshman and saw a quarterback whose talents are very similar to Modster’s but are more obvious, so that’s why they were able to overlook the experience gap.

Thompson-Robinson is not going to close that gap while sitting on the bench, so I can understand why the coaching staff wanted a chance to get him reps in the game. I don’t think they planned for it to go this far this early because they didn’t anticipate Speight getting hurt, but I feel like at this point, pulling the freshman for Modster could be detrimental to his confidence in the long run because while he hasn’t played spectacularly, he hasn’t done enough to clearly warrant a demotion either.

Knowing that they have 1 last game left before they can redshirt DTR under the new rules, do you think Devon Modster gets introduced into the game plan against Colorado?

Just to clarify: All true freshmen are allowed to appear in four games, so freshmen like Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Chase Cota, Kyle Philips, Kazmeir Allen and others who made their debuts against Cincinnati, could play against Colorado and still keep their redshirts. Once they hit the field against Washington, though, it’s over.

In terms of Thompson-Robinson, using him in four straight games to start the year then pulling him back certainly would be a creative use of the new rule, but I don’t think it’s the most effective. If the coaching staff really wanted to redshirt him, then I feel like it would have made the most sense to bring him along slowly and let Modster be the backup for the season opener. That way, they could have Thompson-Robinson as a card in their back pocket. Now they’ve already shown their hand.

Email question: “Do you think that Chip Kelly will start Dorian Thompson-Robinson against Colorado in order to eliminate any further public relations problems and to discourage DTR from potentially transferring, or do you think Chip Kelly goes full ‘Honey Badger’ by playing the QB who he believes gives the team the best chance to win now, even if that is Wilton Speight or Devon Modster?”

If Chip Kelly was interested in public relations, he would have opened training camp practices, made assistant coaches available to the media and probably picked Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the starter for the season opener because I feel like the freshman was the fan-favorite to start the year.

So, in short, Kelly doesn’t care what other people think. He’s going to do what he thinks is best for the team. Other people, especially fans, may not agree, but again, he doesn’t really care. Time will tell whether his decision is the best for the team, but it’s his job to be a little bit of a fortune teller and theorize what will be best and figure out how to get there.

Kelly did not bow to public relations concerns when he was at the Eagles and he cut DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy, two of the most successful playmakers on the team at the time, and traded Nick Foles for Sam Bradford. He will likely not bow to a Twitter-ranting father to appease an 18-year-old quarterback just to keep him from transferring because good football teams are bigger than just one person.

One of the key pillars of the new culture of this team is that no one player is above any other. It’s reflected in how Kelly shared the saying “sweep the sheds,” which is a phrase most often associated with the New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks. You can read about it, and other key phrases Kelly uses, here. (Shameless plug over)

Is running the offense without a designated offensive coordinator a contributing factor to the poor play selection? IMHO, Kazmier Allen should really be the primary RB with his speed. Why is he not touching the ball more?

I don’t know what the impact of not having an offensive coordinator is on the play-calling, to be honest. We know Chip Kelly has always called his own plays, but he did use a designated offensive coordinator at Oregon and in the NFL. Washington State’s Mike Leach is another head coach who doesn’t use an official offensive coordinator either, so I think for UCLA, it may just be an adjustment period for everyone as they’re still trying to understand the scheme and that’s what’s looking like poor play calling.

Kazmeir Allen is a talented and promising running back. Everyone saw that against Cincinnati. But it should not be forgotten that both of his best plays, a 23-yard gain and a 74-yard touchdown, came in a special tackle-over package in which Andre James was playing a strong-side tight end. UCLA can’t line up in that package every time it wants Allen to run the ball.

The offensive game plan against Fresno State gave him some different opportunities motioning through the backfield and taking hand-offs in a jet sweep situation, but he’s got to have good blocking too for it to work. He also has work to do on his pass blocking ability at this point in his career, so that limits his chances on the field.

I have full faith Chip will get us to the top, but right now, the play calling seems a little predictable. LB just wait 5 yards off the ball and if it is a run, they converge, if it is a pass they stay put because all routes are 5-7 yards. What are your thoughts?

My thoughts are that I’m not a coach. I’m not sitting in the meetings, so I don’t know what the game plan is. There are reasons why Chip Kelly calls the plays he calls and I’m sure that if he had a whiteboard and a marker and had to break down the reasoning for each play individually, he would explain it in a way that went beyond any fan’s idea.

If the plays aren’t successful, then it’s common to blame the play selection, but sometimes it’s the execution or just a really exceptional play from the defense. For example, some fans questioned Kelly’s decision to go for it on fourth down in UCLA territory against Cincinnati. The pass to Dymond Lee fell incomplete and the turnover on downs led to Cincinnati’s game-sealing touchdown. It was a bold decision, but the play was there to be made. Lee was open for the first down, the throw just wasn’t on target. The play was the right choice, but the execution fell short.

So to be honest, I don’t really have any thoughts on the play selection because I don’t have the necessary information to form a proper opinion. I think everyone can see the plays have not been successful, so something needs to change in the process to get a better result, but it’s not my job to figure it out.

DM question: “Due to the non-production from the running backs last year and currently, isn’t it time to change the RB coach? The chatter was, since Chip Kelly and DeShaun Foster have the same agent that’s why he was retained. However, at the moment Kelly is highly upset with him. And that’s the reason why there’s a RB assistant coach on staff.”

I’m not going to speculate about someone’s job three games into the season or an assistant’s relationship with Chip Kelly. But I’ll say there are a lot of grad assistants who work specifically with position groups. For example, Jerry Neuheisel always works with the receivers even though the Jimmie Dougherty is there.

Email question: “Do you think the return of Devin Asiasi and Boss Tagaloa will make a difference for the Bruins against Colorado?”

The offense rolled out some interesting two-tight end looks against Fresno State, which put Caleb Wilson in more blocking situations. I could see Devin Asiasi being useful there because Wilson could then be free in the passing game. The Bruins needed help with protection after giving up six sacks to Oklahoma, so that limited Wilson’s chances in the passing game, I think. He only got three targets and had no catches, but the Bruins only gave up one sack, so it’s a tradeoff. Having Asiasi gives the Bruins their best blocking tight end back and then Wilson can return to what he does best, which is catching passes.

Boss Tagaloa immediately slotted into the starting offensive line at right guard on Wednesday, which was the team’s first practice of the bye week. Moving him into the starting lineup moved Justin Murphy to right tackle and bumped Jake Burton, so having Tagaloa back has already made a difference in the first practice. But the fact that he’s so new to the position makes just how much of a impact he can make, positively or negatively, an unknown.

DEFENSE

Email question: “I’m eager to see Elijah Wade play – Do you have any information (or conjectures) about whether he will be healthy enough to play this season, and if so, when?”

He’s been sidelined for a long time, going back to training camp, but it seems that he’s been making some good progress lately. He participated in non-contact drills on the field during Wednesday’s practice for the first time since he got hurt last month. He used to be just limited to individual conditioning. So that’s a positive sign for his progress, but I don’t have a specific timeline for his return.

Email question: “I liked Bo Calvert’s aggressiveness – Do you think Bo will play more and Tyree Thompson will play less?”

It was good for UCLA to get Bo Calvert back, not only because they simply needed bodies at inside linebacker, but because he seems like a very talented player who is a quick study. From his first day at inside linebacker to his second in training camp, there was a clear and obvious jump in knowledge and comfort when he was on the field. I think he could definitely get more time, but he’s got a lot to catch up on because he was injured for about two weeks and he didn’t join the team until this summer while Thompson participated in some of training camp.

Has Mique played? If not do you have any idea. Was looking forward to see him.

I think if I was on the team or on the coaching staff, I would be concerned with consistency, yes, but also maturity. Those two aspects can go hand-in-hand. Young, immature teams get caught up in who they’re playing and play to their opponent. When the Bruins saw they were playing Oklahoma in Norman, they got excited and focused on every little thing because they understood the challenge ahead. They played well, despite the blowout loss. Then when they returned home to face a Mountain West school, they got overconfident and didn’t lock in tiny details like lining up. They paid for it.

I found it telling that after the game, Quentin Lake, when asked to assess the defense, said it was “a matter of attitude” and cited how the defense got a stop on defense on the first drive against Oklahoma, but started slowly against Fresno State.

“I think during this game, I wouldn’t say we underestimated our opponent, but I would say we weren’t to the level of mental preparation where we wanted to be,” he continued.

To me, that means they did underestimate Fresno State and didn’t prepare well enough because they thought it was going to be easier to carry over the momentum from Oklahoma.

Email question: “Are you close enough to the players to gauge whether there is any dissension or loss of hope among the players given their 0-3 start (and tweets from DTR’s Father)?”

On a normal week, I might be able to pick up little cues from practice, but because it’s a bye week, I’ve only been able to watch one practice so far. So the only thing I can do is take the players’ word for it.

Some of the veterans, including running back Bolu Olorunfunmi and offensive lineman Michael Alves, have said this team is stronger and more cohesive than any they’ve been on. Olorunfunmi, speaking last week before the Fresno State game, was especially adamant, saying: “Even though we’re 0-2 right now, there haven’t been no fights, no arguments. It’s just ‘Let’s go out there and fight again and try to get a dub.’ It’s really that brotherhood that’s gotten stronger and stronger this year.”

I wouldn’t say they’ve lost “hope” because they know it’s just three games into the season and even if there is pessimism creeping up, they’ve been conditioned through years of athletics to suppress it and just keep going. They know that there are at least nine other games to go so if they lose hope now, it’s going to be a real drag having to go to practice every day for the next two months.

The drama with Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s father tweeting about Chip Kelly, I think, won’t become a wedge between the players. I don’t think Kelly is one to care much about internet criticism targeted at him and it’ll become a non-issue for the players if the coaches treat it as such.

I could imagine that if parents take shots at other players, for example blaming receivers for drops or offensive linemen for not blocking or defensive players for not tackling, it can be difficult for camaraderie because younger people may have a more difficult time brushing off criticism. If they have to then share a locker room space with a teammate whose parent bashed them on Twitter, that makes for an awkward time.

But if the parent bashes the coach, it’s adult-on-adult. Seems like a more “fair” fight, although in general, it really doesn’t accomplish anything to rant on Twitter. It would be better if everyone expressed their negative opinions via GIF so at least people can share a laugh with the misery.

With the disgruntled Mr. DTR going off on Twitter about Kelly, you think any chance he transfers out?

There is always a chance for everything, but forecasting that it’s imminent seems a little overdramatic. If Dorian Thompson-Robinson transfers just because his dad is frustrated with Chip Kelly’s first three games, it would be an unfortunate turn for a kid who obviously has a lot of potential on the field and has a good opportunity at a good academic school. Not that he couldn’t then use his talents at another school or that UCLA is the only good academic school out there, but transferring only because his dad is mad seems like making a mountain out of a molehill.

DM question: “Do you think that UCLA will lose recruits over the way the season has started?”

No final decisions are made on three games. Recruits make decisions based on more than wins and losses. I think if the season progresses and the team shows improvement, not necessarily wins and losses, but in terms of getting more comfortable with the scheme and showing glimpses of what it could become, then recruits will still be interested in UCLA’s on-field product. And then you have to factor in what the Bruins have to offer in terms of player development with the revamped sports science program and with strength, conditioning and nutrition and the Wasserman Center. Recruits like those things.

DM question: “Can you please ask Coach Kelly about the use of in-game exercise routines?”

I find it hilarious that so many people are obsessed with these.

Kelly said the strength and conditioning staff just wants to keep the walk-ons and other players who don’t play very often warm in case an injury occurs and they have to come in suddenly. If a player doesn’t play a certain number of snaps, they participate in those exercises. You’ll notice that while those players are running through their exercise during the TV timeouts, the players who just came off the field or are preparing to enter the game are meeting with their coaches to go over the game plan. If you’ve ever been to a volleyball match, it’s a similar situation as bench players will hit back and forth on the court in between sets while starters and other players in the rotation meet with coaches.

Kelly didn’t do it at Oregon, but according to FOX’s Joel Klatt, the change is because Kelly believes games have gotten longer, so staying warm throughout the game is important.

So it’s not in-game punishment as some people have speculated. It’s just walk-ons staying warm and engaged.

Bovada set the line at 5.5 in late August. At this point, I would probably say under. The Bruins squandered two of their best chances by losing to Cincinnati and Fresno State, although Fresno State is a very talented, mature team that deserved that dominant victory.

To get the over, UCLA would have to go 6-3 in conference play. Colorado, Washington, Colorado and Oregon are a combined 11-1 with the lone blemish being Washington’s loss to Auburn. Those aren’t easy wins. Cal is also 3-0 with an impressive win over BYU. The other teams on UCLA’s schedule are Arizona, Utah and USC, all at home.

What’s with these oddsmaker questions? Just for the record, sports betting is not really my thing, even though I did math in college.

But I’ve actually followed an 0-12 team before. I was in Seattle when Washington went 0-12 in 2008. Some really weird stuff happened for UW get there: there was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against BYU that led to the potentially game-tying PAT being blocked, a season-ending injury to the starting quarterback who was backed up by an overmatched redshirt freshman, and a field goal kicker who missed two chances from inside 37 yards of a double-overtime loss to another then-winless team. It was a weird season.

So just like a team going undefeated, there’s some luck, in this case bad luck, involved with a Power 5 team falling to 0-12. You can’t expect that there will be that many bad breaks, but they do happen every once in a while. I would be surprised if UCLA went winless, even with their schedule, because every season, especially in the Pac-12, there are games when one team that’s seemingly overmatched does something crazy and plays well above what you think their potential is.

Do you think USC’s slow start has helped deflect some of the heat Chip would normally be getting or did school admin expect a rebuilding year? On a completely different subject what is the school doing to get more students out to games?

A lot of people I spoke to this fall, including Terry Donahue, Rick Neuheisel, Tom Ramsey and Dan Guerrero, were very confident Chip Kelly would get things going at UCLA, but they always said it with a caveat: Be patient.

Everyone knew it was going to be a building year and I don’t think USC’s struggles affect the way school administrators view UCLA in this case. They were already tempering their expectations for the Bruins this year.

Students weren’t in class for the nonconference season, so that’s why the student section was barren. It’s always that way to begin the year, so we’ll see how it is on Oct. 6 when Washington visits for the first game since school has started. But I don’t know exactly if the athletic department has any new student-focused initiatives to boost attendance.

(Definitely feeling like Charlie Brown right now)

With the growing pains of both a new coaching staff and a heavy dosage of underclassmen, do you expect an execution turning point sometime this season? Maybe by the Cal or Arizona games?

I don’t think it’s going to be like suddenly turning on a light switch, but I think there will be slow, incremental progress that doesn’t wow you on a weekly basis. However, there will be a time later in the year when people look back and think, “Wow, that’s definitely different.”

The Cal and Arizona games look very important for the Bruins because they’re at the half-way point of the year. That’s when teams kind of start showing who they really are. But for this team that’s so young and so new to everything, I don’t think it’s going to be a do-or-die time when they have to have turned a corner or it’s too late.

Will we dramatic changes in philosophy or player rotation after the bye week?

I don’t know if it’ll be dramatic, or what your definition of dramatic is, but I expect changes every week in the scheme. There was a little option pitch against Oklahoma and a few more deep passes late in the game. The Fresno State game had new two-tight end looks and package that had Martell Irby and Kazmeir Allen on the field together. So I would think that with two weeks to prepare, the Bruins could have extra time to add more than just two small wrinkles.

I still expect there to be good rotation at a lot of positions, but I can’t see the running backs rotating as much as they did against Fresno State. A running back per play seems a little excessive, and it really wasn’t productive either.

DM question: “When a season looks like it’s heading a certain way, how do you keep yourself engaged and entertained? Or are already looking to basketball season?”

It doesn’t get really difficult until about maybe the halfway point, if it ever does, and by that time, basketball is approaching and things get very busy so there’s no time to fret about being bored. Every week is something kind new — new opponent, new matchups — even if the overall outlook of the season is the same. You just take each day and try to find one new interesting thing. It doesn’t have to be season-changing. It can be simple and not-football-related like Caleb Wilson going home to Norman or Darnay Holmes facing off with his brother last year. In the end, good journalism, I believe, is about people, so when in doubt, I just try to stay focused on the people of the team, no matter if they’re playing for a championship or just trying to win a single game.

Thuc Nhi Nguyen has covered UCLA for the Southern California News Group since 2016. A proud Seattle native, she majored in journalism and mathematics at the University of Washington. She likes graphs, animated GIFs and superheroes.